Toy



Jan. 13, 195 9 H, A, JAMES 2,868,137

TOY

Fiied Aug. 18. 1955 :5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVEN TOR.

Jan. 13, 1959 A AMES 2,868,137

TOY

Filed Aug. 18. 1955 5. Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR.

1; Eng/blames I 11770 r'ney TOY,

Henry A. James, Orlando, Fla, a'ssignor of one-half to John'M. Blanton, Orlando, Fla.

Application August 18, 1955, Serial No. 529,109 Claims. c1.-104-'73 This invention relates to a toy and particularly to a toy having a water course for the conduct of toy ships, boats, barges and other toy floating equipment.

The primary object of this invention is the provision improved toy having a waterway or channel for the circulation of water, in which the direction of the water flow can be controlled by the operator.

Another object of the inventionis the provision of an 1 improved toy having a waterway or channel for the circulation of water in which there arediversion channels to pass the water through one course or another at the option of the user.

Another object of the invention is the provision of an improved water toy having a water course for conducting ships, boats and the like and being constructed of sections which are separable from the other sections.

A further object of the invention is the provisionof an improved water toy having detachable sections which may be replaced by other similar or difierently shaped sections to produce different forms of the water course to suit the aims or desires of the user.

Still another object of the invention is the provision of an improved water toy having a water course and detach a'ble sections, one section of which is provided with an outlet to a water pump, adelivery conduit being provided todeliver water from the pump to the water course.

A still further object of the invention is theprovision'.

of an improved water toy having a water course for thetravel of toy ships, boats and the like, there being means for causing the water to move along the watercourse and. a means for slowing down the speed of the water inthe water course at a desired docking space,

Another and further object of the invention is the provision of an improved water toy having a water course for the travel of toy ships, boats and the like and having sectional pieces to provide for the expansion and. contraction and changing of the shape of the watercourse.

Another and still further object'of the invention is the ni ted States atent i "we in another section.

, 2,868,137 Patented Jan. 13, 1959 plurality of sections and slowing the flow, correspondingly Other and further objects of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from a reading of the complete specification. I

Referring to the drawing wherein is illustrated an embodiment of my invention,

Fig. 1 is a plan view of my invention illustrating one combination of detachable and selective sections as may be selected by a user.

Fig. 2'is an elevation of theconstruction illustrated in Fig. 1. v

Fig. 3 is a sectional view on the line 3-3 of Fig. '1.

Fig. 4 is a detail view of the gate locking device of gate 32x in elevation.

Fig. 4a is a similar view of the gate 33x but in separated position as when changing the adjustment.

Fig. 5 is a detail sectional view of three course sections with a 90 section 31 between the other two sections.

Fig. 6 is an elevational view of one of the 90 sectioris 31.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of one of the clamps 35 whi-chholds the sections together to make the joints water tight.

Fig. 8 is a diagrammatic showing of the waterpower- .unit and its electric motor, for furnishing the water delivery under pressure to move the water in the water the water.

Figs; 9, 10 and 11 are detail views of one type of water delivery jet for use with my invention.

Fig. 12 is a sectional view of a portion of the wall of course andthe top ships, boats, and the like floating on a section of the waterway illustrating the front o fa mov-' jet. 1

provision of an improved water toy'having' a water course i A still further object of the invention is the provision:

of an improved water toy having a water course, detachable and selectively connecting sections for varying thesize and shape of the water course to vary the speed of flow of the water in a selected sectionand gate means for selectively directing a faster flow of water into one 9; a

Fig. 14 is a cross-sectional view on the line 14 -1 4 of Fi 13. A

Fig. 15 is a vertical cross-section of the jet 38.

shown in Fig. 15. v I n Fig. 17 is a cross-section on theline 17- 17 of Fig. 15. Fig. 18 is a detail view taken from abouton the line 18-18 of Fig. 1 showing some parts in section.

Fig. 19 is a detail view of the gate 51d having a pintle 51a and a locking detent 51h which cooperate with the Fig. 16 is a cross-section on the line 16-16 of the'jet openings 51 and 51k of Fig. 20. V Fig. 20 is a detail sectional view similar to a part of Fig. 18.

The invention broadly relates to a toy waterway which, because itis built up in sections, is adapted for modification and changes to vary the outline and uses of the toy as a whole. The construction is such that a child who uses the toy may, by the substitution of different types of sections, alter not only the construction but the uses to which the parts .of the toy may be put in simulation of the. movement of ships and other toy marine vehicles. In this way, freedom of the imagination of the child is given and his educational development is accelerated.

The present embodiment of the invention has a basic or main section upon which the whole structure is based and in which are located some of the most important parts of the construction.

Similar reference .characters refer to the same or similar parts. i

7 Referring particularly to Figs. 1 and2 of the drawing, thebasic section, broadly, is designat'edby the reference character 30. This basic section has an inflow opening 30a and an outflow opening 30b. Therlevice as a whole has a flowvcircuit in which water or other liquid passes through a course from any given point arou'nd'its course returning tothe same place or a'similar, place, carrying switch section 51 at its outflow end. These sectionsjl andSl ,have some ,commonfeatures in, their construction and havewater-tight connection withjthe basic section 30, as will be described. In the constructionshowngfhi water or other liquid flowsin a counter-clockwise direction but this direction may be changed and reversed,as

will later be made-clear, z

The sectio s 1 ,arieinlh'ehfo m of .90" 1b ,w Q .Q

which, as shown, make a complete 180 change inthe (ii-:1;

rection .of-Jlow. in. theMaIer- Qurse. -Cnnncc ed to, h

ends of the elbow members 31 and completing one end of the course as illustrated, is astraight section 32 which,

as w .is f. hes rn l ngth as. h i asics iq 9.-

The basic section 30 maybe made in any suitable shape as that shownin Figs. l and 2.- Fig. 1, which isaplan view, showsalternate courses for the toy boats, ships or ,20

otherfioatingcraftused with the toy waterway. V One of thes e cour ses I have designated by the reference character 30x and theoth er by the character 30y; Either Y may be used as a section of the main course and the other as a harbor or docking place, 'at the will of the P -a In order to control the selection of the course section 29 aflww ntl. have the, fl in pm n pass. in

eprs er qfiowf t e passage i t e o rse I P o i a e-ts- 2 firs e h.. n sh n in e e 30 g t ttenuat d on y rt a i t 2 3 and t n deep enough into the water to direct most of thewater into the selected course section 30x, 30y as the case may be. The gates 32x, 33); extend preferably to a height sutfieientto show above the, water-level, so that the posi- 35 Between the course'sections 30x and 30y a lb t-l m .a a fsrt t s w sh t dfat h end-wherelthe sides come'together' at the pivots 32a, 33a and the g ate sf 32:; and 332; form, alternately,,zthe,walls of I the,..co urses 40 33x are swung frorri si'defto side: ,At the outer ends of the respectivejlevers 32b, 33b are suitable locking devices as the de'ten'ts 32'e, 33c, as shown in elevation in Fig; 4. These detents32c 33s are in position to engage appropriately placed openings, as 30d, inthe separating wall 300,10 hold the respective gates 32x, 33x in either of the adjusted positions, as desired. In this way, the water may be deflectedtoeither course 30 x or 30y, as desired Itithe bottor'nfof the. two, course sections 30x and any, arefholesfof openings 30 e whichlcommunicate with aresjervoir or,collecting"box 34" which is clearly sho'wni'n plan, in Fig. 1. v The purpose of this'collecting box 34 is to take'sufficirit water fromtlie course sections 30x and 30y to supply the water pump which will belater described; In Fig, 2'iss'hown an ou'tlet delivery conduit later described; Thisir'em'oval' of the wa ter slows the water flow th'r'ough section 3Q. T f, I

n salready indicatedgthe' co u' ,secbtidris iitljc and 30y have a common inlet and a'cfomm outlet, eachiof which is,'re'spectivly, contr'olledby the gatesan'd 332g. The

common connections ,at ,,th e ends of the basicsec 30 are similar to the connections at the ends the. ight angular sections 31 and the straight section 32' ble the operatorjto jobt'a'inia water-tight connection between thesever'al sections and thus assuring the holdingof water its cour duringu The construction of these. connections will nowbe deser ed. A,

Each of :the sections 30, 31"and 32, is provided with an outwardly protesting flange t ea'eh' end as at 955, 51?

'upon the particular combination of types of sections and the adjacent section31, 32, 30, as shown in Figs. 1, 2, 5

and 6.

These flanges are continuous and extend in a vertical plane from the ends of the course sections above the water line, down along the sides and bottom of the sections ends. Suitably secured to the outer faces of the flanges are packing strips',"',as"of soft rubber, which are i: illustrated at 31g'in Figs. 5 an d 6. In order to hold the flanges 30 31 and 32f in close water-tight relation with e ad a e t c rse est i .su tabl l mp a as 35 has been'provided, This clampingmember 35 is illustrated in Figs), 2, 5 and 6 in assembled position and in detail detached position in Fig.7. This" clamping means 35 has a general shape, similar to the flanges 30f, 31 321, with a U-shape cross section, the open end of the U being placed inwardly to receive the flanges 30 31 32 of the adjacent sections. The open space of the U o is such that when the U -shap e clamping means 35 is in place, the; packing means of each flange will be pressed against the similar packing means of the adjacent flange to make the joint water-tight It is to be understood, of course, that the slot of the U-shape member is deep enough to receive both of the flanges of adjacentcourse sections andtheii' packing means, thus holding the flanges in lproper relation. The clampingme'ans 35 is shown, although 'not"nece ssarily so, as being constructed in one piece. I

Inorderto 'cause the water to flow'along the water.- cou'r'selIpi'ovide'a water pumpjand a' suitable motor to provide for its operation. Thispowe r plant will now be tiesem ed;v v e v ,The water. delivery conduit 34a conducts the water to the ntake j36i1'o'f the waterp'urnp 36 which is located adjacent its shaft. As 'the'blades of th e'w'ater pump turn, the waterby centrifugal action, is forced outwardly, where iti' emei ges'jfrom thehousin'gofthe pump 36 at 36b. A a water fron'i the" the'wat'ejr course, are determined. This distribution means w'ill now be described.

,My' invention"contemplates the use of integral and For carrying out this water delivery, I provide delivery je SL Cme ofwhich may be a part of the course sections and others which are movable maybe providcd'to deliver additional water under pressure at'desired points. The needs ofthe different parts of the system may require different amounts of water to be delivered, depending their number and arrangement in the set-up;

li'eferringf "partic ularlyfto Figj l it will 1 be seen that I have'illus'trated onetype'of'jet at some points of; the course and another type at other points. The rigid type" will first be described. In Figs. 1, 9, 10 and 11, I have shown the outside wall of one of the course sections 32, as having a slight bulge 32/1 in which the jets are secured, as by welding. Each tube 32:; is connected by a flexible tube 32m to one of the selective outlets 37a of the conas determined by the two-way valve 32n. Summarizing, with the valve 32n'set to determine the direction of'flow of" the wateralong'thewa'ter c'o'u'r'se, thejet'32k for that tro-lru'nift 3.7;, which is shownllinfFigl .8', re:eives the aterlpu'rnpand serves as adistributio n means bywhich the, moyements lof the .water through particularvalve will receive water under pressure when its valve -37b,is opened. p

At places where it may be expected more or less delivery from the propulsion jets may be desired, depending upon the arrangementof the course sections, I have provided a movable jet unit as shown at the lower side of the course section 32 in Fig. 1 and also in detail in Figs. 12, 13, 14, 15 and 16. A jet body 38 is of a flattened tubular construction and has a vertical opening 38a at one edge as shown in Figs. 12, 13, 14 and 15. The top of the jet member 38 is provided with a slightly tapered opening 38b to receive the end of a bent tubular member 39 having a tapered end 39a, to fittightly in the tapered opening 38b of the jet member. This construction enables the operator to-,set the jet opening 38a so as to point in any direction throughout 180. The tubular member 39 is provided with an off-set bend 39b, which, when in place, will bear against the outside of the wallof the course section to which it is attached and hold the jet assembly in place. The receiving end 39c of the tubular member 39 is attached to one of the flexible tubes 32m and is controlled in its water delivery, through its particular valve 37b as already described. From the illustration in Figs. l2, 13, 14, 15 and 16, it will be clear'that the jet member 38 may be placed in either position substantially 180 apart or in any direction portions 50b and 51b. -Various ways of changing the size and shape of the water course will be apparent to the user.

Wherever there is an alternative route provided in the water course, it is desirable, though in some cases not absolutely necessary, to also provide switching gates to direct the water in the proper course. In order to keep the cross-section of the water course substantially the same, and still provide for direction of the water either in a straight direction or around a curve, a specially shaped curved gate is provided. This gate will now be described;

At theangle between the portions 50a and 50b of the section 50 and the corresponding place on the section 51 are provided recessed places to receive the pivoting portions of the gates 50d, 51d. Vertical pivots 50c, 5le are providedon the gates to be received into the openings 50 51 These pivots are of a size to fit snugly in the openings 50], 51].

Extending from the gates are adjusting arms 50g, 51g which have at their ends, downwardly extending detents 50h, 51h. These detents 50h, 51h are so placed as to register with openings 50k, 51k which are located in bulges therebetween to deliver the water under pressure in the desired direction, and the resiliency of the tubular member 39 andits off-set bend 39b pressing against the wall of the course section will hold the jet assembly in position during operation.

It will be observed that with the well-known construction of the two-way valve, any valve 32" may be placed on a dead spot so that no delivery can take place from its jet 32k. The same condition exists when its valve 37b is closed. At the right side of Fig. 1 are illustrated other forms of course sections which serve to give the user of my invention another type of alternative course for the water, depending upon which way the directing gates are set for operation. These alternative courses for the water travel and the consequent alternative travel routes of the ships and boats make the use of the toy more interesting and instructive/ i The sections 50 and 51 designate generally these sections and comprise what mightbe termed a combination of short straight sections 50a, 51a each with an angular 90 turn similar to the angular sections 31 already described. It will be noted that when one section, as 50, is used, it may be convenient in many situations to make use of another similar section 51 as a complement, the two sections being constructed with their angular sections 50b, 51b turned in relatively opposite directions, as shown.

The sections 50 and 51, each have three flanges for connection to adjacent sections. These flanges are all similar in construction to the section flanges already described and are respectively designated 50c, 51c. With this construction, it is clear that the outlets for the respective sections will be in poistion for connection to other sections as, for example, the sections 30, 3'1, 32. When connected in the system the water course through the sections 50, 51 will have cross-sections similar to the cross-section of, for example, the corner sections 31.

Many variations in the form and size of the set-up will be apparent. For example, two straight sections as 32 may be placed between the right ends of the portions 50a, 51a and the left ends of the angular sections 31 at the right side of the system, which would extend the water course as a whole, to the right a distance equal to the length of a section 32. Another manner of increasing the size of the system would be to utilize three sections such as the section 32 by connecting one section 32 between each of the pairs of sections 31 at the right and left of the set-up and the third section between the 50m, 51m at appropriate places in the upper edges of the walls of the sections 50, 51. By simply lifting the gates 50d, 51d to clear the detents from their openings 50k, 51k, the gates may be moved to the dotted positions shown in Fig. 1 and the route of the water will be changed to another course. By lowering thegates, the other openings 50k, 51k will be engaged by the detents 50h, 51h and the gates 50d, 51d will be held in the new positions.

Since one part of the sections 50, 51 is straight and the other part is curved, the gates are curved to an extent not as much as the curved sections 50b, 51b are curved. This will retain the cross-sections of the water course at the several points so near to constant that for practical purposes, it is constant. By maintaining a substantially constant cross-section for the water flow, there is a minimum of eddy currents formed to alter the course of the water.

It is to be understood that the pressure and the consequent volume of the water may be controlled by varying the setting of the valve 37b for any particular jet opening for either type of jet.

The power for the water pump is, as already indicated, supplied by the electric motor 40. Power for this motor is supplied by electrical connection to any suitable source of power. In practice, for the use of children, the current may be supplied from the usual and well-known transformers which supply low voltage currentand are designed and built for this purpose. A suitable switch, not shown, is provided for connecting the current supply with the motor.

I will now describe the operation, in general. Having determined what course-units will be used in the set-up, these are placed in juxta-position and secured together in the manner already described. The clamping means 35 are put into position to hold the sections together. Water is now placed in the water course and the joints checked for leaks.

The gates 32x and 33x, 50d and 51d are set to cause the water in the water course, to pass through the passage 30x or 30y. The boats or ships are placed in the water. The electric motor is now started. The jets should now be checked to see that their openings are all pointed in the direction in which it is intended the water should travel.

As the ship or boat approaches the gate. 32x, it may be found desirable to have a jet to direct the z'gseeiiev it is desired to have ltlie follow "thi course-sctiofi te'rfnative course portion and thirnainderin-th'othef.

In alike m annerftlieigates 502i and"51Zi-'may be removed I with similar results 7 In order to make the toy 'mdfeinferesting and realistic, it is to be 'under'st ood "that accessories {such as miniature lighthouses, docks, power houses for'covering the motor and pump may be' 'pr'ovided." HOWeverQsince these are not apart of this inventiofper' se; his 'not thought necessary to illustrate them-'in'de'tail. I

The parts of thisinvention' may be' made of any well known or suitable materialsuch asany of the various suit'ableplastics, white metal or sheet metal, andthey may be made by' any of-the 'suitablemethods by which the selected material is *mad'." I v The ships or boats designatedas S may be made ofany suitable material and constructed by 'any suitable process andof'a size andtypesuitabletothe widthand depth of waterway for which the 'parts carrying the water course'are designed for therriarke't.

While one embodiment of rn'y'inventionhas-been illustrated and described'in detail,'- it to be understood that" the disclosilre is'mrly illustrative and that many modi fic'ations" and changes" to produce interesting and instruc tive results may be madew'ithdut dep'ai'ting from the" spirit 0fthe'inventidri andwitliififits scope'as claimed."

Having described mi -"invention; what I claim is:-

1. A toy having a waterway, means'connected to"sai d" waterway including a pump" for moving water in'the waterway and having a plurality of nozZ1es,']each'con-' nected to said pump and said waterway at variably" spaced intervals therealong, each of said nozzles "having inde-' pendent stre'am-directing'mean's' adjustably mounted thereon for selectively discharging-water from the nozzle into m watetwavanemone"Ora hi-rain of horizontal di rections correspondingto the adjusted positionof the" stream dirtit-in g niean's relative'tothe nozzle.

2-3 Alsti'utur'e according to c1 'imand-having-the Waterway provided with *side wall's', indentationstherein with" each of sa'id""nozzles' "being secured.- therein."

3." A structure'faccbrding to'clairn1and-having a compacticeiitral control-station,having separate water conduit ou'tlet connections to" various ones of said nozzlesand a 'connection fromth'e discharge side of the pump,

and said station 'haviri'g means ifof varyingthe supply pressureof-the water 'at any-noZ'zle relative to'and independeritly 'of any other no'zzlei 41' A'stiuc'ture according to clairri'i1 and saidwaterway ding' sa'id wate'r'wa'y intoa plurality" of sectionsyeach of said fwaterwaysections having a dis chargeoutlet "connec'tiorfto the-purnp, to remove water fro'mthedivided sections 'to ther'eby decrease the amount of water flowing throti me'nt of water in the 'divided sections.

rable"sections fdrdengthe'ning or'shortening the waterway and gatespivotally mounted' on the" walls of the waterway forcontrollably switchingthe' flowof water in the waterwayandshapedtdcdnfdrm to the sides of the waterway to 'mairit'ainfihe-same at a c'onstant'cross section when the gates"'a're *ateither ends of their'limits of position. I

liefern c'esi ci ted in "the file of 7 this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

